format hard-drive

[Immi666]

anyone know how i go about formatting a hard drive and then reinstalling an OS?

[vehelpfulguy]

If you are installing Windows then just put the CD in the drive and reboot the PC. It should say "Do you want to boot from CD". Reply Yes. The install of Windows will start.

NOTE: You may need to go into your BIOS and change the boot order so that the CD is BEFORE the hard drive in the boot sequence. If you do not it will always boot from the hard drive before booting from the CD.

During the Windows install it should give you the chance to delete the current partition, create a new one and then format the drive.

NOTE YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING ON YOUR HARD DRIVE WHEN YOU DO THIS. **EVERYTHING** 

[Gandy]

at command prompt (start, accessories) type FDISK this will begin the formatting procedure. Contrary to popular belief, this does not delete the contents of the hard disk but tells the master file table (MFT) that the space is available to be written over.

An analogy would be that you had a bucket full of water. You could leave the water in the bucket until you needed the bucket for something else. Only then would you tip the contents away.

Your data will still be there and easily recoverable with free tools from the internet. If you are formatting to erase your disk for security reasons then it simply isn't enough. You need to destroy the disk or use BCWIPE. This over writes formatted data with binary gibberish. It takes a while though...:-) Good Luck

[Immi666]

thanks guys.  um, vehelpfulguy, whats a BIOS?

[Buenchico]

Another way (assuming you've got a boot floppy):

Put floppy in drive.

Restart computer and hold down F8. (It's always been F8 on every computer I've used but, if this doesn't work, try again and hold down 'Esc').

Select 'boot with CD support'

At prompt, type:
format C:
and hit return.

You'll get various warnings but just keep going.

Once format is complete, type:
C:

Prompt will change from showing drive A to drive C.
Insert Windows disk.

Type:
setup
Hit return

Put kettle on (or open fridge) 'cos the installation takes about half an hour. Answer any questions with obvious answers (e.g. select 'typical' installation unless you've got special requirements).

Done!


Chris

[Gandy]

Immi, (and If you don't mind vehelp?) a BIOS is the small little program that starts your computer. Its actually stands for Basic Input and Output System. It is stored on a memory chip, similar to the one you have in a digital camera. To access the BIOS settings you normally press the delete key when prompted. Watch your computer screen when you are booting up. It will say press DEL to enter Setup or something similar.

I like to think of the BIOS as that shower and first cup of coffee in the morning. It sets everything up to function properly

[qapmoc]

To be honest it may be that if you have no idea what the BIOS is and dont know how to start the procedure for formating than you are at the stage where you need somebody to do this for you and show what to do as they go along and then the next time you can try it on your own. You really can get yourself in a mess if you are unsure of the procedure.  

[vehelpfulguy]

I agree with qapmoc, it sounds as though you could do with some help from someone who knows what they are doing this time round.

Maybe if you tell us WHY you are re-installing an OS then we can tailor our answers better.

Once you start getting into the process of formatting hard drives and changing the BIOS you are entering a whole new world. 

[vehelpfulguy]

Immi666, just to clarify what I meant about boot sequence (to continue your education).

When your PC hardware starts up it has no idea where the operating system is. It could be on your hard drive, it could be on your CD, or it could be on diskette (yes an operating system, DOS, comes on diskette).

So during PC start up it uses this BIOS program to search for an operating system.

But you can specify the order it searches. It could be diskette first, then hard drive, then CD, or it could be CD first, then hard drive, then diskette.

Now your PC may be hard drive first, then CD, then diskette. If you already have Windows on the hard drive and that is first you will never be able to 'boot' from the CD.  

So you need to change the BIOS so that CD is first, then hard drive, then diskette.

After Windows is on the hard drive, and the Windows CD removed, it will not find an operating system on the CD so will boot from the hard drive. 

Hope that is clear       

[Immi666]

thanks for ur help guys.  i did know how to format the drive - vehelpfulguys way - but i just wanted to confirm.  i know what the BIOS did, i just wasnt sure what it was called.  i mean, i know that it looks for the os in different places and that u can reorder it, i just didnt know what the BIOS was.  does that make sense?

[qapmoc]

Hi, Immi666,  the BIOS does a lot more than look for the OS, it is the first program system that a PC runs when it starts up and tells the system how all the hardware works,  for instance how to read the keyboard, the ports, the memory, how many hard drives and where they are etc..etc... if you mess up your BIOS you can lots of odd problems on your PC or even that it wont boot.